Citizenship Education
This literature review examines how citizenship education is integrated into initial vocational education and training (IVET) across Europe and the factors enabling or limiting its implementation. Drawing on over 120 publications from 2014–2025, the review identifies four key dimensions of citizenship competence: knowledge and application of democratic principles and political literacy; political and civic self-efficacy and civic engagement; critical thinking and media literacy; and knowledge of EU history and common European values.
Context
Citizenship education in IVET matters for democratic resilience, social inclusion and economic performance. Across Europe, VET prepares almost half of learners at upper secondary level, including many young people who may have had fewer civic learning opportunities at home or earlier in schooling.
As democratic backsliding, disinformation, declining institutional trust and inequalities in participation grow, IVET is expected to prepare learners not only for work but also for life in democratic societies.
This literature review examines how citizenship education is integrated into school- and company-based IVET, which conditions enable or hinder it, and how IVET supports democratic knowledge, political and civic self-efficacy, civic engagement, critical thinking, media literacy, EU history and European common values.
